Animal husbandry involves the control and management of animals, particularly domestic animals. It is sometimes necessary to physically restrain an animal while it is being attended to. One may wish to control an animal for a variety of purposes such as inspection of the animal, tagging or tattooing the animal for identification, veterinarian aid such as hypodermic injections, and cleaning the animal.
Some animals are small in stature and may be adequately controlled simply by being physically held by an attendant. Larger animals, however, such as cattle must be controlled by other means. It is particularly important that the animal be restrained in such a manner as to effectively accomplish the task for which he is being controlled.
To accomplish such a task, there exists a variety of animal headgates that control an animal's movement by restraining the animal's head region. Headgates generally have three operating positions. The receiving position provides an open headgate, positioned to allow the animal to enter the apparatus. Once in the headgate, the gates are closed around the animal's head region in a latch position to restrain the animal within the headgate. The release position is similar to the receiving position in that the gates are in an open position; the animal is free to exit the apparatus when the headgates are in the release position.
Prior art headgates do not always satisfactorily restrain an animal for all purposes. The major problem with such a headgate is that it allows the animal too much freedom of movement. This is because the animal is restrained by a single securement unit such as a set of bars enclosed near the animals head, one on each side. As there is only a single securement unit, the animal is often able to move about freely, particularly in the head/neck region, which is forward of the securement unit. With such freedom of movement, the purpose of the headgate is often defeated.
Allowing the animal too much movement while the headgate is in the latch mode may result in unwanted consequences. The animal may be able to avoid the intended attention, thereby thwarting the purpose of the apparatus. For instance, a major problem occurs when the animal is placed within the headgate for the purpose of tagging an ear for identification. Headgates such as those already known allow the animal free movement in the head region in front of the headgate. This movement, which may be quite wild and sporatic, makes it difficult for the tender to properly tag the animal's ear. In addition, an animal may injure itself if it becomes irritated and is not properly restrained. Inadequate restraint may even result in injury to those near an animal whose movement becomes wild and uncontrollable.
There is clearly a need for an animal headgate that adequately and safely restrains an animal's movement. In particular, such a headgate should provide restraint capabilities in the crucial shoulder area and forward, including the neck and head. There is a need for a headgate that has a second securement unit positioned forward of the first securement unit to ensure maximum restraint of the animal's movement, particularly in the head/neck region.
The headgate should be operable in a receive, latch and release position, wherein the latch position operates to properly restrain the animal. The headgate should be durable as it must withstand the presence of large animals. It should also be relatively inexpensive to make and use a minimal amount of material.